I, Zhou Cang, am the number one tank in the Three Kingdoms.

"What?! Cao Ren ran away?!"

Xu Shu couldn't believe his ears and looked at Zhang Fei again, asking, "Yide, did you see it with your own eyes?!"

Zhang Fei nodded and said, "Yesterday when I fought Xu Huang, I felt that he had no will to fight. When I went there this morning, only Cao Ren's banner was still on the city wall."

"I challenged them from below the city walls, but no one responded. Apart from the guards, there wasn't a single soldier in sight."

Xu Shu suddenly laughed. He had gone to great lengths to set up an ambush, but Cao Ren had simply made a show of force and run away.

Zhang Xiu was truly pitiful... He was indeed used as a pawn by Cao Cao.

Xu Shu and Liu Bei sighed almost simultaneously, feeling some sympathy for Zhang Xiu.

But judging from the city's continued closure and lack of residents, Zhang Xiu seemed unwilling to give up and wanted to wear the city down with supplies.

They needed to think of a solution, so they asked Zhang Fei again, "According to Yide's opinion, is Bowang an easy city to attack?"

Without hesitation, Zhang Fei replied, "There aren't many defenders; they all seem to be old, weak, sick, and disabled. If the strategist wants me to take it, I'll go right now!"

Xu Shu quickly stopped him, saying, "Wait, wait! Rather than a direct attack, we should use strategy."

Have Generals Liao Hua and Zhou Cang returned to camp?

The servant replied, "They're still on their way back!"

Xu Shu nodded and said, "After they return, come directly to my place."

Upon returning to camp that evening, Liao Hua and Zhou Cang rushed to the North Camp to find Xu Shu.

Xu Shu smiled and asked the two of them, "Generals, you must be tired from your journey!"

Liao Hua pouted and said, "It was a wasted trip, nothing tiring at all!"

Xu Shu, still smiling, asked, "When we attacked Guali Ford last time, did Cao Cao's army still have their armor and clothing?"

Liao Hua nodded: "Yes, the armor, command tokens, and other equipment are all in the camp."

Xu Shu said, "Alright, let's put an end to Zhang Xiu's hopes tomorrow night!"

"Zhou Cang, listen to my command!"

"Your subordinate is here!"

"You shall lead one hundred infantrymen, all dressed in black, and depart tomorrow at dawn for Bowang."

"Before midnight, you must reach the vicinity of the Bowang city gate. After dark, wrap your head with a turban, put a gag in your mouth, and lie down on both sides of the city gate without making a sound."

"When the city gates open at the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), we will storm into the city, seize control of the gates, and signal our success by setting fires on the city walls."

"Zhou Cang obeys!"

"Liao Hua, obey my command!"

"Your subordinate is here!"

"You will lead ten riders, all dressed in Cao Cao's army armor, disguised as messengers from Wancheng, carrying command arrows. Depart at 1-3 PM tomorrow, and arrive at Bowang at 1-3 AM to trick them into opening the city gates."

"Yes, sir!"

"Zhang Fei, listen to my command!"

"Your subordinate is here!"

"You shall still lead your own thousand elite cavalry, depart at noon tomorrow, and after dark lie in ambush along the main road one mile outside Bowang City."

"At the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), when you see fires rising from the city walls, rush into the city, capture it, and do not let a single soldier of the defending army escape!"

"Zhang Fei obeys!"

"General Liao Hua, there is one more thing!" Xu Shu called out to Liao Hua, who was about to leave to prepare.

"After the city falls, you must immediately send me Cao Ren's banner atop the city wall, along with the official seal and command tokens from within the city. I have great use for them."

"Yes, sir!"

"Alright, everyone, you've all had a hard day. Go back to your camps and rest."

The three left the camp separately.

With the arrangements made, Xu Shu and Liu Bei continued to besiege Zhang Xiu at the northern camp while quietly waiting for the next day to arrive.

At dawn the next day, before daybreak, Zhou Cang led a hundred men from the rear of the camp straight to Bowang, passing by Zhang Fei's camp.

Pei Yuanshao was following behind Zhang Fei, inspecting the cavalrymen's hooves, when he saw Zhou Cang and teased, "Brother, you've gone to make a name for yourself again."

Zhou Cang grinned and said, "I only seized the gate and lit the fire; I dare not steal your great merit in capturing the city!"

After exchanging a few jokes, the two went their separate ways.

Zhou Cang couldn't help but feel a bit emotional, starting from when he joined Zhang Fei in Gucheng at Woniu Mountain.

Originally, I only wanted to save Pei Yuanshao's life, but now we've unknowingly gone through so much together under Liu Bei's command.

After leading his troops onto Xialu Avenue, Zhou Cang ordered the entire team to begin a forced march.

When they arrived near Bowang, it was just past 9 PM. After eating some dry rations and resting, the hundred-man unit quietly crept to the vicinity of the Bowang city wall.

Bowang City is not large. Unlike Wancheng, it does not have an inner and outer city. Instead, it has a layout similar to Changshe, which is long from north to south and short from east to west.

There are no moats on the south, north, and west sides of the city; only the Zeng River flows naturally through the east side of the city as a defense.

The target of this attack is the south gate, which leads directly to Wancheng.

Although there was no moat, a trench was still dug beneath the city walls.

Seeing that the torches on the city wall were dim and the area below was pitch black, Zhou Cang went out alone to investigate the situation.

Upon entering the moat, a major problem was discovered: because there was no moat, the moat was actually deeper than that of a typical city.

He could climb up using his height and strength, but his soldiers didn't have that physique.

Xu Yuanzhi tricked me!

Zhou Cang cursed under his breath as he returned to the sergeant's quarters.

"The moat below the city is quite deep. You will split into pairs, and once the city gates open, one person from each pair will crouch down to form a ladder, while the other follows me into the city. Understand?"

Zhou Cang lowered his voice and gave instructions to the squad leaders.

"General, that leaves only fifty men..." a squad leader said worriedly.

"Enough! Fifty men are enough. Arrange them as I instructed, quickly!" Zhou Cang commanded decisively.

Fifty people aren't enough?! Who do you think you are?

Zhou Cang chuckled inwardly.

After successfully infiltrating the moat below the city, Zhou Cang and his soldiers waited quietly for Liao Hua to arrive.

At the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), ten riders came galloping from Xialu, led by Liao Hua.

Liao Hua, holding up the command arrow, shouted, "Guards on the city walls, open the gates immediately! I am an envoy from Wancheng, here to request reinforcements from Xuchang!"

Two soldiers on duty, who were dozing off on the city wall of Bowang, exchanged a glance, both with resentment in their eyes.

One soldier walked to the parapet, looked at Liao Hua, and shouted, "What are you begging for! General Cao Ren's reinforcements have already left!"

The other man, terrified, stepped forward and shouted, "If you're going to die, don't drag me down with you! Just let him go!"

The soldier cursed, "Calling for help! Calling for help every other day! You're surrounded, and you won't even let us have some peace and quiet!"

Upon hearing this, Liao Hua, standing below the city, roared in fury, "If you don't let us pass, I'll take your lives as soon as the city gates open at dawn!"

Immediately, someone on the city wall replied, "Envoy, do not be hasty, open the gate immediately!"

Not long after the words were spoken, the suspension bridge creaked and groaned as it was lowered down—

"Charge!" Zhou Cang gave the order, and he rushed through the moat beside the drawbridge into the city gate. The remaining fifty soldiers, along with Liao Hua and ten others, also rushed across the drawbridge and into the city gate with lightning speed.

Bowang City was originally a military town located on Xia Road, and there was a city gate behind the drawbridge.

But there are no guards around at this hour.

The soldiers on the city wall heard a loud shout from below, followed by a rustling sound.

Just as they were about to check, Zhou Cang had already arrived in front of them.

Black clothes, black headscarf, black face!

"I am Zhou Cang, a general under Liu Bei. Those who surrender will not be killed!" Zhou Cang shouted while observing the actions of the crowd.

Upon seeing Zhou Cang's intimidating appearance, more than half of the guards lost all will to fight and immediately laid down their weapons and knelt down to surrender.

Two or three men tried to resist and ran over with their weapons, but Zhou Cang rushed up and cut them down one by one. The rest of the men fell silent.

On the main road outside the city, Zhang Fei, growing impatient, muttered to himself, "Why is Zhou Cang taking so long?!"

Suddenly, Pei Yuanshao shouted, "General! Look! Someone is lighting a fire on the city wall!"

Zhang Fei's eyes gleamed, and he roared, "My men—charge!"